How Magician & Mentalist Ian Rowland's Book "The Full Facts of Cold Reading" saved the day for Navel Gazing Psychic Belly Button Mind Reading, Fortune Telling & Mentalism Entertainer Jonathan Royle
And why you should attend Ian Rowland's Lecture on 9th June 2026 at Manchester's Magic Club & Magical Society for Magician's, Mind Readers, Mentalists & Psychic Entertainers "The Order of the Magi"
BOOK NOW FOR IAN ROWLAND’S LECTURE AT MANCHESTER’S MAGIC CLUB & MAGICAL SOCIETY FOR MAGICIAN’S & MIND READERS THE ORDER OF THE MAGI ON TUESDAY 9th JUNE 2026
https://www.ticketsource.com/order-of-the-magi/lecture-ian-rowland-the-best-secrets-i-ve-learned-in-almost-50-years-of-magic-mentalism/2026-06-09/19:30/t-aaanomd
Based in London, Ian Rowland of https://www.ianrowland.com/ is a respected speaker, trainer, magician, and mentalist. After a successful career in media and IT, he began working independently in 1998 and has since built an impressive client list that includes organisations such as the FBI, Google, Coca-Cola, the British Olympic Team, and the Ministry of Defence.
Within the world of magic and mentalism, Ian has performed and lectured internationally. His appearances include multiple lectures at The Magic Circle, Blackpool, and MAGIC Live in Las Vegas, as well as Mind-Vention and other major conventions. He has also delivered two Penguin Live lectures and is widely known for his writing, including over 200 articles in the magic press. His book The Full Facts of Cold Reading has been described by Derren Brown as “the definitive work on the subject”.
In late 2017 I was contacted by a writer called Mara Altman who told me that she was writing a book to be released in 2018 which was going to be called:
Gross Anatomy: A Hilarious Memoir and Feminist Essays on Body Positivity
She had discovered my talents as a Navel-Gazing Belly Button Reading Psychic and had decided that it would make a nice added element to the chapter on that Body Part to have her own Belly Button read by me, but the problem was she had a deadline for that chapter which would give me only 24 to 48 hours maximum to find the time to study the photographs of her Navel that she would send me and to then prepare my reading and return it to her.
I accepted the challenge and when the photographs of her Belly Button came through to me on email, I suddenly found myself with a kind of Mental Block on what the heck I was going to put into writing for her….
You see doing Psychic Belly Button Reading’s in person with people is easy as you get instant feedback and from that feedback can easily alter what you are saying, whereas
setting things down in print is somewhat more fixed and final…
And doing readings from images of people’s Belly Buttons where the head has been cut off the photograph but you know the person is a Celebrity is also relatively easy as you can use things like “reverse image searches” to find out who the person is in the decapitated photograph’s you have been sent to give readings from as I did for the
Sunday People National Newspaper in this article from 1996…
I’d been featured in Media Publications and on TV/Radio Shows around the World as a Navel Gazing Psychic Belly Button Reader since Circa 1995/1996 and had always found a way to apparently be accurate in the readings that I gave.
But on this occasion in Late 2017 I found myself racking my brains as to how was I going to give Mara Altman a reading convincing enough that she would give me a positive mention in her book and not feel her time spent contacting and engaging me had been a waste of time and/or money!
Then suddenly I had a flash of inspiration and the face of Ian Rowland flashed into my mind and it was a Eureka moment….
I needed to go and dig out my copy of Ian Rowland’s excellent book “The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading” and so off I went searching for it among my collection…
The Book was first published in 1998 the year where I turned 23 in the August and myself had been doing “Psychic Style Readings” of various kinds from Tarot and Palmistry through to Contacting the Dead Style Stage Clairvoyance Shows since Circa Late 1989 when I was in reality just 14 years of age but obviously advertised myself as being 18….
I searched through the pages and sure enough my recollection was right, on page 156 of this edition was/is a prepared Astrological Reading which as Ian Rowland Explains he wrote for a BBC Television documentary Series called “Heart of the Matter”
Time was against me and I did not want to have waste time typing it all up so I scanned the relevant pages and then converted them so I had just the text from the images which I could then edit as required.
I removed most mentions of Astrology and Star-Signs (although I had asked Mara for her date of birth as well as the Belly Button Photographs she sent me) and tweaked a few bits so the final version read as though it was things I was stating based on having observed the lines, dents and shapes of her Belly Button.
I sent Mara my “Belly Button Reading Report” based on the images of her Navel and she responded at the time telling me that she was absolutely amazed at the accuracy of the information.
So Thanks must go to Ian Rowland for that section of his book which on this occasion saved the day for me.
I did indeed end up mentioned in the book, sadly not as much as I had anticipated or would have liked but I am there none the less as shown below:
Last year when I was at Manchester Airport on the way to Tenerife I saw Mara’s book on sale in the Airport Book shop!
And I am glad to say that it has great reviews on Amazon as per:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gross-Anatomy-Mara-Altman-ebook/dp/B0796XH72G/
That small mention in her book may seem insignificant at first sight, but I know from the feedback I have had over the years that it raised many of her readers curiosity and
they went searching on the internet for me and found my book on Navel Gazing and how to Read Your Own Belly Button which is available from Amazon here
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Navel-Gazing-Psychic-Button-Reading/dp/1482064855/
As well as generating more sales of my book on “Navel Gazing” I also know from feedback I have received from those booking me that a few TV/Radio show features I have done since have resulted due to the researchers for those shows having read Mara’s book or by Mara having mentioned her experiences with the Psychic Belly Button Reading Guy when they had interviewed her about her book within which I am mentioned albeit briefly, so once again thanks to Ian Rowland and his “Prepared Astrological Reading”.
For the full version of the video above and for videos of other Psychic Belly Button Reading related TV Shows & Performances take a look at my web page of:
https://www.magicalguru.com/bizarre-media-psychic/
I can honestly say that although Ian’s book was not published until 1998 and I had been doing “Navel-Gazing” since Circa 1995, it would be true to state that the techniques of Cold Reading that I used when doing such are explained in wonderful detail in Ian’s most comprehensive book on the subject as mentioned earlier.
And I can confirm that since the feedback from Mara saying how accurate she believed the reading I sent her to be, namely the reading that was essentially an ever so slightly edited “copy and paste” of Ian’s prepared Astrological Reading, I have on a number of occasions since used the exact same “script” as provided in Ian’s book to
convince TV/Radio researchers and print media journalists that I am the “real deal”
despite the fact my website clearly states I have no special powers at all…
Another genius release by Ian Rowland is his book “Sense of Touch” which expands massively on a very, very old little known principle that Psychics & Mediums of old would use to prove their extraordinary powers..
"If Ian Rowland's 'Sense of Touch' isn't the real thing then I don't know what is or how it could be more convincing. Utterly baffling, extremely direct, and seems to work no matter what." - Derren Brown
"Mental effects that work under challenge conditions are rare, but Sense of Touch really does stand up to the closest scrutiny. Ian Rowland has taken a little-known principle and turned it into a well routined piece of seemingly impromptu theatre designed to impress even the most sceptical. As per usual Ian's instruction manual is absolutely first class, covers every step in great detail and makes Sense of Touch simple to learn. Highly recommended for those who like to work miracles without breaking into a sweat." - David Britland
I only wish that I had been able to read Ian’s book back in Circa 1989/1990 when I started doing Psychic Fairs and also Contacting the Dead Stage Clairvoyance & Platform Spiritualist Medium demonstrations in Hotels and at Civic Halls and Theatres all over the North West of England and further afield.
When I say that the techniques & routines taught in Ian Rowlands “Sense of Touch” manual could be used to start a Religion I am being 100% Serious!
I can only imagine what “Psychic News” and other publications would have said about me if I’d been using “Sense of Touch” back in the early 90’s when they proclaimed me as “The New Uri Geller & Doris Stokes Rolled into one”
They were certainly impressed with my apparent talents at communicating with people’s deceased loved ones in the Spirit World and spoke highly of my ability to make Spoons, Forks, Keys & Other Metal objects bend through “Physical Mediumship”
I expect they would have been completely speechless if they had ever witnessed me performing Ian’s “Sense of Touch” Miracles!
https://www.magicalguru.com/past-life-regression-psychic-experiments-2/
In the world of Magic & Mentalism “The Q & A” Questions and Answers act is seen by many as the pinnacle of skill to be able to apparently walk on stage with little in the way of props and seemingly pluck thoughts from peoples minds.
Well as someone who did this completely prop-less, in it’s purest form for many years with great success I can tell you from personal first hand experience two things…
Firstly most of the books available to Magician’s & Mentalists on how “Genuine” Platform Mediums and Stage Clairvoyants do what they do are written by people who have never actually worked in the real world of the so called “Shut Eye Mediums” and the Spiritualist Church type believers.
Indeed whilst I know it may sound somewhat big headed and/or arrogant, the simple fact is that nothing on the market comes even remotely close to what is taught within my own “BEYOND THE GRAVE” package in terms of enabling you to seem like a genuine Psychic & Spiritualist Medium.
The contents of my “BEYOND THE GRAVE” package when combined with what you can learn from Ian Rowland’s “The Full Facts of Cold Reading” book will make your education complete and give you all the tools, techniques and approaches to be able to appear way more accurate than the Late Derek Ackorah, Doris Stokes or indeed Colin Fry ever were!
For those wanting to give Tarot Readings & readings with other forms of divination again I would recommend Ian Rowland’s Book “The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading” but also another of his books ”Super Psychic Readings” as per:
https://www.ianrowland.com/booksforsale
Again though I would say for completeness the would be Tarot Reader or Consultant in Palmistry, Rune Stones or similar Fortune Telling & Divination methods would also be wise to obtain a copy of my book
The Art of Fortune Telling - How to Predict the Future for Fun & Profit
BOOK NOW FOR IAN ROWLAND’S LECTURE AT MANCHESTER’S MAGIC CLUB & MAGICAL SOCIETY FOR MAGICIAN’S & MIND READERS THE ORDER OF THE MAGI ON TUESDAY 9th JUNE 2026
https://www.ticketsource.com/order-of-the-magi/lecture-ian-rowland-the-best-secrets-i-ve-learned-in-almost-50-years-of-magic-mentalism/2026-06-09/19:30/t-aaanomd
On a final note, anyone curious about how I have been able to travel the world & be featured on TV & Radio Shows and in publications around the world on a regular basis over the past 30 years by simply combining Navel-Gazing “Psychic Belly Button reading” with Magic Tricks & Mentalism Routines would benefit from discovering more about my book at the link below
MIND MIRACLES = REAL WORLD MENTALISM & MIND READING SECRETS
Mind Miracles: Real World Mentalism & Mind Reading Secrets
So to end, as you might have guessed I would 100% Unreservedly recommend Ian’s work’s and would advise you to do all you can to make it to his Live Lecture at Manchester’s Magic Club & Magical Society for Magician’s, Mentalists, Mind Readers & Psychic Entertainers “The Order of the Magi” on Tuesday 9th June 2026 as per:
https://www.ticketsource.com/order-of-the-magi/lecture-ian-rowland-the-best-secrets-i-ve-learned-in-almost-50-years-of-magic-mentalism/2026-06-09/19:30/t-aaanomd
